One of Connecticut’s health insurers shocked state insurance officials Thursday morning when Connecticare executives unveiled that they wanted to increase rates by 42.6 percent, rather than the previously proposed 24 percent increase.
NBC Connecticut reached out to Connecticare for comment but our messages weren’t immediately returned.
Sources at a public hearing to discuss the rates said state officials were taken aback by the renewed request.
One person who was there to state her case was Alison Bliss, a former Connecticare customer who dropped the insurer this year when she was informed of the proposed rate increase.
“The audacity that the company had to suggest increasing my rate by almost 30 percent,” she said.
The plans that would go up are off-exchange plans mainly held by private individuals and small business owners. There are about 37,000 people who would be affected by the rate increase.
Elizabeth Keenan with Congregations for a New Connecticut has observed the rate increase process for years and says this move by Connecticare puts consumers in a nearly impossible position.
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“It puts consumers between a rock and a hard place frankly, so you either pay the penalty and then you run the risk of having a medical event or you become unable to pay other bills and look out for your family.”
In the case of Alison Bliss, she was paying more than $330 per month for her individual premium and she would see that bill rise to more than $480 if she stayed with Connecticare.
She says she feels the company duped many of its customers.
“I feel like they kept their rates low to get new consumers [last year] and now they’re raising their rates exorbitantly once they have us all in there. That just doesn’t work for me.”
State Senator Tony Hwang, R – Fairfield, was at the hearings and was blown away by the proposal. He says the Farmington-based Connecticare is representing everything that taxpayers and consumers dislike about large corporations.
“It’s an absolute symbolic gesture of a complete disconnect of our insurance carriers. I understand it’s a business but they have to understand that there is a consideration and a respect for how you interact with your consumers.”
